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Original Prusa MK4

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Re: Original Prusa MK4

#51

Post by hirundo »

sho_hn wrote: post #8

So I would really like to get into 3D printing, but I struggle with discomfort over the health implications. I live in a small rented apartment and can't easily work out space or, much more importantly, external venilation. Yes, I've looked into PLA vs. ABS, I've looked into enclosures with carbon/HEPA filters, etc., but I still don't want to have it in my living space without a vent to the outdoors. Here's the best…

I would be as concerned about the health implications of the sound. The constant background noise adds to the baseline stress level of the environment, and it's difficult not to intersect printing and sleep schedules.

So I recently moved mine from the middle my medium sized house to the far end from the bedroom, behind a door. And even with that I'm considering enclosing it in a cabinet, to reduce the noise on that side of the house too. Yet the model I have is not particularly loud.

Re: Original Prusa MK4

#52

Post by precompute »

bmitc wrote: post #45
precompute wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you can shell out a little more, you might be able to print a Nevermore filter[1] and use activated carbon to filter VOCs, provided your printer is enclosed. You could also buy a Bambu Labs P1P, which is fully enclosed, or build a Voron. There's also the Creality Sermoon V1, but with chinese printers you always have to replace / upgrade the parts, so they're really not that cheap in the long run. 1: https://github…

Just a note that the P1P does not come fully enclosed. You need to either print your own sides or buy them from someone. I don't think Bambu Lab even sells them, and even then they are just side panels and don't include the front. The Bambu Lab X1 Carbon comes fully enclosed, however. It is one of the main reasons that I am considering just going for the X1 Carbon. If the P1P had a fully enclosed option, I would go f…

Thanks for the correction, I wrote that post off the top of my head. I definitely meant the X1, that's the printer I had in mind.

And anyway, if you're printing PLA you shouldn't do it in a completely closed enclosure, the temperature would be too high (or so I've read). Even the Sermoon V1 has cutouts for a small vent at the back. Even the Vorons aren't fully enclosed, although there's the Box-Zero[1] addon that does fully enclose the printer.

1: https://github.com/zruncho3d/BoxZero

Re: Original Prusa MK4

#53

Post by latchkey »

sho_hn wrote: post #35
levpopov wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the best way. Inline duct fan and a flex hose running out of your window (you can print an adapter/connector to fit perfectly). It works very well even if your enclosure is not airtight (and it shouldn't be when printing PLA since you want a constant stream of air getting inside for cooling) - just let negative pressure do its thing.

It may seem super silly or I'm just somehow dumb, but the "run a hose to your balcony" is the difficult part for me. That means having a door open for 10+ hours at a time, which is a climate control challenge for the room. That's why I figured: Why not put the entire enclosure on the balcony, and then heat-humidity control the inside of it? Sure, more complex system and higher power draw, ... but maybe there's whole…

6" wide piece of cardboard that is floor to ceiling of the balcony door. Put it on the side where the door locks. Cut a hole near the bottom of it and stick the flexible tubing through it. Now you can shut the door and hold the cardboard in, while still maintaining the climate control.

You can use something thicker than cardboard like the plastic version of cardboard... google: 'Corrugated Plastic Polycarbonate Acrylic Sheets'.

I was also thinking that you can even extend a pole out your balcony and attach the tube to that. This way, the air makes it far enough out that it won't even blow back.

Re: Original Prusa MK4

#54

Post by newaccount74 »

sho_hn wrote: post #8

So I would really like to get into 3D printing, but I struggle with discomfort over the health implications. I live in a small rented apartment and can't easily work out space or, much more importantly, external venilation. Yes, I've looked into PLA vs. ABS, I've looked into enclosures with carbon/HEPA filters, etc., but I still don't want to have it in my living space without a vent to the outdoors. Here's the best…

I worried about the same thing, and decided to print only PLA and PETG and print without enclosure. The printer is in the living room, and I just close the doors to the bedrooms and open the windows in the morning to let fresh air in.

I think it's questionable how much those tiny filters help anyway. If you print a lot, you would have to constantly swap filters, if you don't print a lot, it doesn't really make that much of a difference.

When I want to print ABS, I go to a Makerspace and use their Ultimaker.

Re: Original Prusa MK4

#55

Post by LordHeini »

sho_hn wrote: post #8

So I would really like to get into 3D printing, but I struggle with discomfort over the health implications. I live in a small rented apartment and can't easily work out space or, much more importantly, external venilation. Yes, I've looked into PLA vs. ABS, I've looked into enclosures with carbon/HEPA filters, etc., but I still don't want to have it in my living space without a vent to the outdoors. Here's the best…

My FDM printer is not stinky enough to cause a big problem (might be still unhealthy though).

But i recently got a resin printer and that thing lives in the bathroom now beside the washing machine. It has build in ventilation through a coal filter but the stench is just awful.

In a pinch Bathrooms are not the worst place for printers because they have ventilation and are not in use most of the day.

Just don't store your filament in the same room since it might get wet from the showers steam.

Although this might have a very low WAF, so check with your better half if applicable :)

Re: Original Prusa MK4

#56

Post by bittercynic »

rcarmo wrote: post #3

I have a Prusa MK2 clone that I recently revived with Klipper firmware, a cheapo Kingroon MK3S Pro that I bought to tweak a bit, and have been looking at getting a Bambu Labs or building a Voron - and either of those seems like a better investment than the MK4 if you can build and tweak the printer yourself. But the key thing is that the Bambu (and other upcoming Core XY printers) are aimed at the non-modding market…

I think they appeal to a different crowd.

I built a Prusa kit, and enjoyed building it, and enjoy printing with it. I consider it a bit of a hobby product, and wouldn't recommend it to someone who isn't interested in learning anything about 3d printing. It works great, but you have to take an interest in it.

For the person who just wants a consumer product, I suspect the Bambu might be the best option.

Re: Original Prusa MK4

#58

Post by [deleted] »

abracadaniel wrote: post #48
yokoprime wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this satire? I have a Prusa mini, and for a 3D printer it’s as close to “it just works” as you can get. My friend got an Ender3 and has spent countless hours modding it, replacing parts etc and he still can’t print PETG reliably while I print in any of the “normal” materials without worry at all. The stories I hear about cheap Chinese printers are like my friend with his Ender, just dialed up to 11.

I agree with this. Unless you love tinkering and modding, and don't mind spending more in the long run, a Prusa is pretty much the gold standard for reliability/consistency. I bought cheap, with the understanding that I'd be spending the money over time and maybe have a better machine in the end, but it hasn't really worked out that way. The cheap printers get costly pretty quickly. I've learned a lot, but it's all b…

[deleted]

Re: Original Prusa MK4

#59

Post by makeset »

latenightcoding wrote: post #24

Prusa printers were great many years ago. in 2023 I'd recommend buying any cheap Chinese brand. I bought an i3 MK3S+ and it almost made me lose my love for 3d printing, the machine is clearly stuck in the past, you don't even have remote printing out of the box, you face as many issues as you would with a cheap 3d printer, but you have to pay over $1k USD and wait months to get one.

That’s the opposite of my experience with i3/Mini compared to the Enders of the world. Cheap printers => eternal fix/mod hell, Prusa => still “just works.”

If you don’t care to become a part-time 3D printer tech, and value your time more than a few hundred dollars vs. dozens of hours spent trying to get it right, buy Prusa and get printing.

Re: Original Prusa MK4

#60

Post by Symbiote »

sho_hn wrote: post #8

So I would really like to get into 3D printing, but I struggle with discomfort over the health implications. I live in a small rented apartment and can't easily work out space or, much more importantly, external venilation. Yes, I've looked into PLA vs. ABS, I've looked into enclosures with carbon/HEPA filters, etc., but I still don't want to have it in my living space without a vent to the outdoors. Here's the best…

I put the printer on a study Ikea wheeled table, and put it in the bathroom when I use it. The ventilating fan in the bathroom is sufficient.
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